Welcome to EGM’s Weekend Play, a weekly account of what games the editors of EGM are currently playing, and an open conversation with you, the reader, about what you’ve been playing.

I just got done playing Bravely Default, a game that channels the wonder of classic Final Fantasy. Now, time to move on to Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, a game that…well, let’s just say that I don’t quite expect the same magic from. I’ll admit that I’m slightly intrigued by the game’s doomsday countdown, and Final Fantasy XIII-2 exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations. Still, this feels like going to McDonald’s after dining at the French Laundry in Napa.

Well, since the Broncos broke my heart last weekend, I have retired my copy of Madden 25. There’ll be no more going for the Lombardi trophy for me. Instead, this weekend I’m going to concentrate on lighter fare, starting with Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. I’ve been hearing great things about the return of my favorite vine swinger (suck it, Tarzan!) and am looking especially forward to the water stages making a comeback here. Yes, I enjoy underwater stages. I’m weird like that.

Just to keep it a Nintendo-centric weekend, I am also going to dive into Bravely Default. From what I understand it’s extremely long and challenging, but also a very well-crafted RPG. Sounds like a good way to spend time when the temperature outside is supposed to be mostly under 20 for the foreseeable future.

I’m happy to report that my Octodad binge has left me with all but four of the game’s achievements. I’m not sure when the hell I’ll find the time to beat the entire game without dying in one sitting, but I’m so close I’ll have to squeeze it in eventually. Moving on.

This weekend’s theme is willful stupidity! I know from reading Ray’s review (and quite a few others) that the original Fable hasn’t aged well in the decade since its release, and that Fable Anniversary‘s veneer doesn’t do much to disguise that, but I’m still interested in revisiting the game. It’s strange, too, because I don’t remember enjoying it terribly much when I played it the first time around. In fact, I don’t remember much about the experience at all. Maybe I’m just in the mood to play something I know I’ll hate as a sort of palate cleanser. It’s been more than seven months since I played Ride to Hell: Retribution, after all. 6/24/13. Never forget.

I swear, I had all the best intentions to finally play Dark Souls this weekend, but I’ve once again bitten off more than someone slavishly chained to news reporting during the week can chew when it comes to review work. I suppose EGM should be very grateful that my social life doesn’t extend beyond Josh and his cat, Oxford. And only one of them offers up any scintillating conversation (Oxford). In short, instead getting any work done cleaning up my last-gen backlog this weekend, I’ll be fraying my nerves trying to perfect runs in Dustforce, testing my nerves in Outlast, and having Tidus get on my nerves with more Final Fantasy X and X-2HD.

Here’s something surprising: I’m once again playing Tales of Xillia. OK, so it’s not really that surprising, considering how long the game is. Sadly, the further I get into it the more it feels like a struggle. As promised, the story started to improve and even grip me towards the middle, but I fear that it’s peaked, and now things are on the way back down. Also, despite having numerous interesting and cool abilities and combos, I find myself able to destroy everything in my path with the same set. I’m determined to see it through to the end though, even if I risk dying of boredom.

I’ll also be continuing with my new found love Guild Wars 2. My quest for a Legendary goes on and is progressing incredibly slowly, especially now that the Edge of the Mists WvW map has been released. The achievement hunting monster in me has also reared its ugly head thanks to this new map. There’s just no way to resist that small little ding. Then there’s my other dirty little secret, Star Wars: The Old Republic. After a few weeks away, I’ve decided to return—I can hear my sleep pattern screaming already. Seeing as I’m paying for it each month, I may as well play it.